Since the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948 by a United Nations mandate, the Middle East has been a flashpoint of conflict between the world's only Jewish state and the Palestinians, who lost their land because of the UN partition. Although peace agreements were signed with Egypt and Jordan in the 1970s and 1980s, and negotiations are ongoing with Syria and Lebanon, Israel's relationship with Palestine continues to be marked by violence. Despite the ongoing conflict with Palestine, Israeli troops and settlers vacated the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank in 2005. However, any hope of peace between Israel and Palestine was put on hold when Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke in January October 2006. Enhanced with new information, abundant study helps, and crisp, full-color photographs, this ready-reference volume will help students keep pace with current events as they explore the culture, geography, economy, and government of the state of Israel.